Abscam

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Columbia Pictures

Bribery, corruption, mobsters, politicians, and undercover FBI operations -- what else do you need for a great Hollywood thriller? Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that the movie loosely based on the FBI’s Abscam operation from the late 1970s and early ‘80s, American Hustle, is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The story is just crazy. While American Hustle honestly announces “some of this happened” for artistic purposes, the FBI really did target elected officials who had a tendency to accept backdoor deals by offering them stacks of $100 bills. Of the 31 officials targeted, the FBI brought down a United States senator, six congressmen, one member of the New Jersey State senate, members of the Philadelphia City council, the Mayor of Camden, N.J., and an inspector for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.